This invention relates to a releasable joint structure applicable to such as toy figures, and more particularly to a releasable joint structure between two elements for rotary movement thereabout, and in which when desired the two elements are automatically released from its joint engagement.
A mechanical device for fastening things together is widely used in the art. In the case where two elements are desired to be movably joined together, e.g., as for a head and a body, arms and a body, or legs and a body of a toy figure, various mechanical joint structures have been adopted. By way of example, these are typically a combined arrangement of a bolt and a nut about which bolt a pivotal element such as a head, arms or legs are freely or frictionally journalled and are pivoted relative to the body, or a combined arrangement of a resiliently deformable member and its receiving cavity, the member being formed on one end of a pivotal element and the cavity being formed in a body with which the member can be pivotally engaged.
When these conventional combined arrangements are used for mounting the pivotal element on the stationary body, it has been found, however, not satisfactory: the bolt and nut arrangement becomes loose as the time elapses because of the continuous vibration caused from the pivotal movement of the pivotal member; and the latter arrangement goes to a state where a stable snap engagement between the resiliently deformable member and its receiving cavity is lost because of the abrasion of the member during the long term usage thereof. Moreover, if it is advantageous in view of the capabilities of the transformability of the toy figure or of the removability of the pivotal member from the stable body, these known arrangements are relatively complicate for its operation, such as to loosen the bolt and nut, or to forcibly pull out the deformable member which necessarily causes to abrase the elastic member.